Stolen Words, Illus. by Gabrielle Grimard, One of Shelf Awareness’s Best Picture Books of the Year

December 20, 2017

Shelf Awareness, a newsletter about the book industry, recently released a 2017 Best Children’s and Teen Books of the Year list. Stolen Words, written by Melanie Florence and illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard was right at the top of the list! Stolen Words is the story of the relationship between a young girl and her Cree grandfather. When she discovers that he lost his native language in Canada’s residential school program, she sets out to help him recover it. It’s one of Shelf Awareness’s best picture books of 2017.

Shelf Awareness’s full list of best books of the year is available here. Stolen Words can be purchased online here.

Quill and Quire Praises Stolen Words, Illus. by Gabrielle Grimard

December 7, 2017

Due in part to institutions such as residential schools, Aboriginal languages in Canada and the US are in danger of going extinct. But children’s books are doing their part to prevent this tragic result, with several books coming out recently that introduce the language, culture, or history of vulnerable languages. Quill and Quire, a Canadian magazine of book news and reviews, reviewed picture books focused on the Cree language, including Stolen Words.

Written by Melanie Florence and illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard, Stolen Words tells the story of the relationship between a young girl and her Cree grandfather. When the young protagonist discovers her grandfather lost his Cree language from the residential school system, she sets out to help him relearn the language. Quill and Quire praises the picture books evocative description and illustrations and its frank confrontation of the trauma of the residential schools. Gabrielle’s illustrations are described as “beautiful and disturbing.”

Quill and Quire’s full review is available here. Stolen Words can be purchased online here.

Kirkus List of Best Picture Books of ’17 to Give Strength Includes Two Books from Painted Words Artists

November 28, 2017

2017 has been a rough year for many. But in trying times, you can always turn to picture books for inspiration! To that end, Kirkus has composed a list of the Best Picture Books of 2017 to Give Readers Strength. Two of the books on that list, Stolen Words and Lucía the Luchadora, were illustrated by our artists.

Stolen Words, written by Melanie Florence and illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard, is the story of a little girl and her Cree grandfather, who lost his ancestral language in the Canadian residential school system. Kirkus calls this story “Unforgettable.” Stolen Words is available for purchase here.

Lucía the Luchadora, written by Cynthia Leonor Garza and illustrated by Alyssa Bermudez, follows a little girl who is inspired by her family tradition of luchadoras to become a hero on the playground. Kirkus calls it, “A KA-POW kind of wonderful.” Lucía the Luchadorais available here.

Kirkus’s full list of inspiring picture books from 2017 can be found on their site here.

Kirkus Starred Review for Stolen Words, Illus. by Gabrielle Grimard

July 20, 2017

Kirkus has written a starred review for upcoming Stolen Words, written by Melanie Florence and illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard. This poignant picture book tells of the relationship between a Cree girl and her grandfather. When the girl asks her grandfather to teach her the Cree language, she learns of the devastating effects of Canada’s residential school program for indigenous inhabitants.

Kirkus praises the storytelling of the book, writing, “Florence’s tender text soothes the harsh reality of…Canada’s former residential schools.” They also strongly compliment Gabrielle’s illustrations. Kirkus writes, “Grimard’s equally emotive illustrations show the stark realities of the experience…At the same time the soft colors and nuanced expressions enrich Florence’s text.” They conclude that this important story is “Unforgettable.”

Kirkus’s full starred review is available here. Stolen Words is coming out in September and can be pre-ordered here.

Kirkus has written a starred review for upcoming Stolen Words, written by Melanie Florence and illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard. This poignant picture book tells of the relationship between a Cree girl and her grandfather. When the girl asks her grandfather to teach her the Cree language, she learns of the devastating effects of Canada’s residential school program for indigenous inhabitants.

Kirkus praises the storytelling of the book, writing, “Florence’s tender text soothes the harsh reality of…Canada’s former residential schools.” They also strongly compliment Gabrielle’s illustrations. Kirkus writes, “Grimard’s equally emotive illustrations show the stark realities of the experience…At the same time the soft colors and nuanced expressions enrich Florence’s text.” They conclude that this important story is “Unforgettable.”

Kirkus’s full starred review is available here. Stolen Words is coming out in September and can be pre-ordered here.

Did you love “The Legendary Miss Lena Horne” as much as we did? Why not spend a few days this summer doing a few activities involving this amazing book? Elizabeth Zunon will be at a few of these events and it’s a great chance to come meet the illustrator and spend some time escaping the heat!

Lena Horne Story Hour
Saturday, July 1 from 1:00-2:00pm
Macon Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library
After a reading of “The Legendary Miss Lena Horne”, you can and make your very own special birthday craft to take home!
Click here to RSVP and come join the fun!

Reading and Drawing Story Time with Elizabeth Zunon and “The Legendary Miss Lena Horne”
Saturday, July 15 from 11:30am-12:30pm
Greenlight Bookstore (the Fort Greene location)
Click here for more information.

Reading and Drawing Story Time with Elizabeth Zunon and “The Legendary Miss Lena Horne”
Saturday, July 15 from 1:30-2:30pm
Greenlight Bookstore (Prospect Lefferts Gardens location)
Click here for more information.

Summer is here and we’re nearly halfway through 2017, if you can believe it! It’s the perfect time to look back at the year and pick some of the best children’s books of the year so far. Amazon recently compiled a list of their editors’ books of the year. Two of our own artists’ picture books made it on the list!

In the Ages 3 to 5 category, Amazon chose Lucía the Luchadora, written by Cynthia Leonor Garza and illustrated by Alyssa Bermudez. This vivid picture book tells the story of a young girl who draws on her heritage of lucha libre to become a hero on her playground. Purchase it here.

In the Ages 6 to 8 category is Mae and June and the Wonder Wheel, written by Charise Mericle Harper and illustrated by Ashley Spires. A chapter book for young readers, Mae and June focuses on the adventures of two young girls who pick each day’s activities based on a wheel with a list of tasks. Purchase it here.

The Chocolate Lily Book Awards is a reader’s choice awards that selects some of the best children’s fiction from authors and illustrators from British Columbia in Canada. Every year, they nominate books in categories such as picture books and novels. This year, Canadian author/illustrator Ashley Spires was nominated for two different books (see below)! Congratulations, Ashley!

Despite some unseasonable heat, fall has officially come, and with it, a fresh crop of fall and Halloween themed picture books! The New York Times Book Review wrote a review of some of these autumnal new books in a section called “Frightfully Good.” Included in their review was Wee Sister Strange, written by Holly Grant and illustrated by K.G. Campbell – and the Times couldn’t say enough about how much they loved it!

Wee Sister Strange is a spooky fairy tale-esque story of a mysterious girl wandering through the woods at night, looking for something. The Times called it a wonderful autumn and Halloween tale, describing the titular character as, “an autumnal creature,” and saying the story, “will merit repeat Halloween readings.” They praise Holly Grant’s evocative verse and imagery. K.G.’s illustrations, they write, “are both gorgeous and mysterious…he saves his best for first: the book’s initial spreads…are masterpieces.” The Times concludes simply, “I love ‘Wee Sister Strange.'” Wow!

The full review of Wee Sister Strange is available in the Sunday, October 8th issue of the New York Times Book Review. Wee Sister Strange is available for purchase here.

Wee Sister Strange was only released a few days ago, but it’s already bringing in positive reviews! This beautiful new picture book is written by Holly Grant and illustrated by K.G. Campbell. It tells the story of a nymph-like girl wandering through the woods after dark, looking for a special something.

BookPage included this lovely new tale in their article, “Majestic Moon: New Picture Books Celebrate Earth’s Satellite.” This quick list rounds up some of the new picture books featuring the moon, including Wee Sister Strange. They call Wee Sister Strange, a “captivating story,” and praise the poetic language, particularly that surrounding the moon! They write of the illustrations, “Artist K.G. Campbell’s marvelous illustrations transport the reader to an intriguing otherworld.” In all, they conclude that Wee Sister Strange, “has all the makings of a classic.”

To read BookPage’s full article, follow this link. Wee Sister Strange was released September 19th and is available online here.

Kirkus Starred Review for Wee Sister Strange, Illus. by K.G. Campbell

June 21, 2017

Wee Sister Strange is K.G. Campbell‘s newest picture book, written by Holly Grant. In this dreamy tale, a young fairy-like girl in the woods searches for a bedtime story. Kirkus wrote a starred review for this exciting new story. They praised the fantastical imagery and Grant’s rhymes. Kirkus writes of the art, “Campbell’s illustrations give Sister’s nighttime world shape and depth with emphatic splashes of light.” All in all, they conclude that Wee Sister Strange is “An enchanting bedtime tale to be read over and over again. ”

Kirkus’s full starred review is available here. Wee Sister Strange will be released in September, but you can pre-order it here.

Wee Sister Strange is K.G. Campbell‘s newest picture book, written by Holly Grant. In this dreamy tale, a young fairy-like girl in the woods searches for a bedtime story. Kirkus wrote a starred review for this exciting new story. They praised the fantastical imagery and Grant’s rhymes. Kirkus writes of the art, “Campbell’s illustrations give Sister’s nighttime world shape and depth with emphatic splashes of light.” All in all, they conclude that Wee Sister Strange is “An enchanting bedtime tale to be read over and over again. ”

Kirkus’s full starred review is available here. Wee Sister Strange will be released in September, but you can pre-order it here.

The blog Archimedes Notebook helps children and parents find books for children that focus on science and environmental issues. Archimedes Notebook recently posted a blog post on picture books that explore science through the medium of poetry. One of the books the post praised is Thunder Underground, written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Josée Masse.

Thunder Underground explores the concept of the varied things that exist under our feet, from ant colonies to subway lines. Archimedes praised the way the story incorporates a variety of unique aspects of nature as well as the factual back matter.

Archimedes’s blog post is available here. You can purchase Thunder Undergroundhere.

From June 13th to October 15th, the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History will be presenting an exhibit of artwork by Vermont natives. Entitled Draw Me a Story — Tell Me a Tale: Vermont Children’s Book Illustrators & Authors, the exhibit features 18 children’s book illustrators/authors. Sarah Dillard, author of Extraordinary Warren and theMouse Scouts series, is one of these chosen authors! The exhibit includes two images from Warren and several more from Mouse Scouts. The image on the left from Extraordinary Warren is also featured on museum post cards. If you’re in Vermont in the upcoming months, make sure to check out this great display!

As flowers bloom, it’s important to think about the little insects that help make it all possible. Bees are now an endangered species and need humans’ help! To help spread knowledge about bees, Publishers Weekly published a list of “Buzzworthy Books About Bees.” Included on this list is Gerald Kelley‘s new picture book, Please Please the Bees, the story of what happens to one honey loving bear when his local bees go on strike. Please Please the Bees is an adorable story with lots of great lessons on how to make bees thrive.

PW’s full list of recommended bee books is available here. Please Please the Bees can be purchased online here.

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Painted Words is an artist/ literary agency dedicated to bringing unique voices in children's books to the foreground. We develop author-illustrators for the children's publishing marketplace, nurturing their talents into creative projects across the media spectrum. Our goal is to provide the utmost in representation for illustrators and authors while placing a unique emphasis on developing characters, books, and licensed properties.

ABOUT PAINTED WORDS ANIMATION

Painted Words Animation brings our storytelling expertise to the world of television and film, creating both original content and adaptations of award-winning children’s books. Focused on animated series and films for ages pre-k through tween, we are taking beloved characters off the page and onto screens. Our team of writers, illustrators, and animators craft appealing characters and memorable stories that will excite, educate, and amuse a new generation of young viewers.